Chapter 165

[Third Person's PoV] 

The next day…

Cid was fine-tuning the piano Epsilon used to perform. As he finished, the maid, Margarette, entered the room with a tray carrying a teapot and cups.

"Good evening, Mr. Apprentice!" she happily exclaimed as she entered.

"Would you like some tea while you wait for Ms. Silon? Or perhaps you'd like to consider the offer of working for my family!" she said loudly, trying to mask the sound of her locking the door behind her.

"You didn't have to lock the door," Cid muttered.

"By the way, where did you go yesterday? I turned around for one second, and then you were gone. Was it Kevin?" Margarette asked, trying to change the subject.

Before Cid had a chance to say anything, Margarette continued, "I was just thinking about how to murder him if anything had happened to you because of him. After all, no harm shall come to someone who can touch the souls of others with just their fingers."

'The amount of ways that can be interpreted is crazy, and she wouldn't be wrong in any of them,' Cid thought in amusement.

She set the tea set down and gave Cid a thumbs up with an excited expression. "But worry not, I have already taken care of it. No harm shall ever come to you because of Kevin. He isn't a problem you should worry about anymore."

'A problem I shouldn't worry about? Did she kill him or something?'

"I heard someone messed with the princess's cake last night. All I had to do was blame it on Kevin, and all was taken care of."

'That is literally no different from killing.'

She then started walking towards Cid, causing him to back away from her. 'Victoria is already someone I have trouble dealing with. I don't need another in my life.'

"See how nice I am!? Makes you want to come and work for my family, right!?" Margarette persisted.

As they moved around the room, Margarette continued, "Lady Silon is being unfair to you! Your talent is being wasted on her!"

Seeing that she wasn't catching up to him, she pulled a rope and wrapped it around her hand. "Damn it, how is the distance between us increasing!?"

"I'm being so serious when I ask this, but where the hell did you get that? You literally didn't have that on you," Cid asked.

Before Cid could receive an answer, the locked door burst open, revealing Epsilon with an intimidating aura. "Whose talent is being wasted on whom again?"

"La-Lady Silon! Aren't you supposed to be working? How did you manage to get past the locked door? I'm sure it was locked," Margarette stared in disbelief.

"That's for me to know and for you to not. I was worried my cute apprentice was being bothered as he was working."

Margarette and Epsilon got up in each other's faces, their chests pressing against each other due to their sizes—a view which Cid much enjoyed.

"You can get lost now, or will you be lost with all those flowers you have for brains," Epsilon said, puffing her chest out.

"If you're so interested in flowers, why don't you go out back towards Princess Rose's garden and leave us alone? We were having a moment together," Margarette retorted, doing the same.

"Just be gone already! I have much to talk to my apprentice! Shoo! Shoo! Go away."

"Kyaa, Lady Silon is showing her true nature. You will be in trouble if you stay with her. Come and work for my family!" she pleaded as Epsilon was pushing her towards the door.

As she was by the door, she gave Cid two thumbs up and winked. "If you ever need to escape, I will always be there for you."

Epsilon slammed the door in her face and scoffed. She then went and plopped down on the couch with a sigh.

"She was such a bother. Why don't you just kill her off? It's not like anyone is going to miss her," Epsilon grumbled.

"Let's not kill the maid; it's such an immoral thing to do," Cid said as he began loudly drinking the tea Margarette brought.

Epsilon looked at Cid, confused, but didn't say anything else. She went up and sat on his lap. She leaned back on him and wrapped his arm around herself.

"So I'm curious, what are you planning to do with the key? I'm sure you know what it's for. You mentioned a vacation?"

"Tell me, did you guys ever figure out what the black rose actually is?" Cid answered with a question.

"We have a feeling, but we don't have any confirmation," Epsilon replied.

"The Black Rose is a gateway to another dimension," Cid confirmed.

Epsilon nodded. "We had a feeling that was the case since those monsters appeared from those portals you called a gate."

"I'm planning on opening the Black Rose and going to that dimension to conquer it," Cid revealed his plans.

Epsilon twisted her body and looked at Cid wide-eyed. "You're what!?"

Cid had an amused expression as he rested his arm on the top of the couch. "You heard me. I want to know how it feels to conquer something. Well, apart from your heart, beautiful. And that something just so happens to be the dimension this Black Rose opens to."

Epsilon blushed at being called beautiful. "Are you going to take us with you?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. How can I rule without my queens by my side?" Cid teased as he lifted her chin. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips before putting her to the side and standing.

As he began to stretch, Epsilon asked, "Where are you going?"

"To break a girl's heart," he said as he dressed up in his shadow outfit and disappeared into his shadow, leaving Epsilon confused all by herself.

…

Meanwhile In the Unknown…

There were eight ancient beings known as Monarchs, all seated around a large circular table.

Antares sat in the tallest chair, which appeared more as a throne, as he looked towards everyone.

He had a large smile on his face as he said, "So the Shadow Monarch still lives."

"What!?" those who weren't aware exclaimed.

Antares looked towards those that were trembling in fear, those who had once been killed by Ashborn, and scoffed at their cowardice.

"We killed that cockroach once, and we'll kill him again. This time, it has come to our attention that he has a weakness," Antares grinned, exposing his sharp teeth.

"It appears our little Monarch has fathered a child… a combination between a human and a Monarch, the perfect vessel. Someone has gotten greedy and went after that vessel for themselves." He glared towards Querehsha, who shrank in fear, knowing the only reason she was alive was because she was needed.

"With that child as a vessel, not only would we be able to use our powers to their full potential, but they will also be doubled, while simultaneously taking away the disadvantage of our mortality in those vessels."

Antares then chuckled, thinking of the possibility. "We have already wasted multiple resources to resurrect some of you; there won't be a next time. If you die, that's it. So this is not a mission that allows for failure. The Shadow Monarch is weak and in a small world. An opportunity will soon present itself. I will be sending three of you to deal with him and bring me the child. I would have done it personally, but the Rulers are becoming more aggressive."

Antares then looked towards Baran, the Monarch of White Flames, the King of Demons. "Your resurrection was the most costly, so I expect great results. How is the creation of your demon army coming along?"

"I'm halfway through the current world I'm inhabiting—"

"Halfway through!" Antares shouted in anger. "You have been in that world for five years, and you're only halfway through!" Everyone felt a suffocating pressure from Antares that promised great destruction.

Baran was gasping for air as he squeezed out his words, "I've just been resurrected. Neither my strength nor my army are what they used to be! It takes time," he cried out.

Antares just looked down on him. "You have a year to completely take it over or be prepared to suffer the consequences!"

Baran rapidly nodded.

"You're all dismissed!" Antares said as he stood up angrily. 'I'll just have to take out my anger over their incompetence on those Rulers then,' he thought as he walked through the door, with everyone soon following after.

**********************************

patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3